Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Key Findings By Erica Siegl University of Washington, Department of Communication A “Webscape” of examples for this section can be found at: http://september11.archive.org/webscape/sie/ In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the Internet provided a virtual public space where grief, fear, anger, patriotism and even hatred could be shared. While the expression posted to the […]
A Boost for the Watchdog Role Though the public has much lower regard for the media’s values, most Americans continue to favor the watchdog role performed by news organizations. If anything, there is greater support now than in November, when the media’s overall image was much more favorable. Six-in-ten Americans (59%) say press criticism keeps […]
No Partisan Advantage The two parties continue to run neck and neck in the generic congressional ballot. Overall, 46% of registered voters support or lean toward the Democratic candidate in their district, while 44% favor the Republican. This reflects virtually unanimous support from partisans (93% of Republicans plan to vote Republican, 91% of Democrats plan […]
The new findings do not mean the evening news programs are identical to before September 11th. While the amount of hard news contained in the programs is similar, the makeup of that hard news has shifted. Hard News in the EveningsAs a Percent of Coverage Overall June ’01 Early ’02 Government 5.2% 5.3% Military […]
Were it not for the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, the story of network television this year would be an even clearer trend toward its pre-September appearance. In January, less than half of the evening news, and less than a quarter of the morning shows, could be considered traditional hard news. By February, during the Olympics and a […]
Findings Fully 44% of Americans are paying very close attention to news of the Middle East conflict, with another 33% following the story fairly closely. That is the highest level of interest ever recorded on this measure, which dates back to 1988. It also makes the Middle East conflict one of the most closely followed […]
Last year’s survey by the Pew Research Center and Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life showed that nearly half of Americans favored churches expressing their views on social and political subjects. But the public draws the line at churches making political endorsements. By 70%-22%, Americans believe churches should not come out in favor of […]
In the aftermath of Sept. 11, Americans viewed the country in a new light. Not only did broad measures of patriotism, confidence in government, and concern about the safety of friends and family rise, but the vast majority saw religion playing a significantly greater role in American life. In a mid-November Pew Research Center/Pew Forum […]
51% of Americans say Sept. 11 proves there is too little religion in the world A poll released today by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that 8-in-10 Americans believe that religion has a positive influence in the world today. By […]
Introduction and Summary The public draws clear lines in assessing complex issues raised by genetic technologies. Americans are united in opposition to human cloning by more than four-to-one (77%-17%), they reject scientific experimentation in this area. There is far less agreement on the question of stem cell research. Half of those who have been […]